Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-06-24
CRE11AT1ON IN Alaska
Curious Customs That FoIlOU DeatA-Vhy
the Bodies Burn Well.
TAlnska Free PROSE-

IA5H01S Customs 1N0e fOt&OV DoQtA-Vhy
the Bodies Burn Well
ALASKA Free Press.]
Having had information the other
day of cremation to take place at
the Indian village, 1 went to the beach
to witness it. The defunct siwash was
known around Juneau as Frank, and
was formerly employed at Martin Bros.
store in the capacity Of Indian clerk,
and the Hickman Git being double
cremation of one of each sex) had been
called Jennie: both, as it happened,
having died of consumption. The
mourning service consisted of the an
Gent ceremony known as "potlatch,"
which II always customary among the
Indians of Southeastern Alaska on the
occasion of the death Of one Of their
number. The potlatch is q division OF
whatever temporal goods the deceased
may have possessed, such as blankets,
dry goods, etc, among his or her rcla-
lions, according as the merits of each
individual case may Justify.
In the services of the mourning,
which are Very long, and to the Indian
mind very impressive, the first in the
order Of the day is a eulogistic dis
course by one OF the old men, which,
being delivered by him in sections, so
to speak, is taken up and sung by the
rest in monotonous sort of chant; tho
old man is then superseded by another
venerable buck, who goes through the
same service, and he in turn by an
other, until all the old men have had
their individual say. The chanters
keep time by humping the floor with
sticks and beating on drum. This
performance being gone over for day
or two. the potlatch takes place,
The body of the deceased is first
wrapped in u mating, woven from split
roots, and in appearance resembling
coarse straw. They then convey the
body to the place of cremation, which
is always on the beach at highwater
| mark. On this occasion they had on
hand for the purpose of burning the
two bodie; aboalt one cord of wood,
somo split and some in small logs.
First a platform of small logs is laid a
foot from the ground and space of
four inches between each log. On this
pyre, which was about seven feet long
by five feet wide, the two bodies We're
placed, about three feet apart and
around them q miniature log hut was
built to a height of four feet. The in
closed space is then carefully filled in
with split wood and fine kindling. And
now, everything being in readiness the
fire is lighted from the bottom. The
native diet being chiefly salmon, an oily
substance, the bodies of the Indians
seem to contain considerable amount
of oil, as they burn very readily. While
the corpses We're charring, the friends
Of the deceased continued to poke them
with long sticks, occasionally rahing
the fragments Of burnt flesh from the
fire and wrapping them in skins,
blankets, etc. Returning from the
cremation Of the two natives, heard
singing in native house, and dropped
in to see what was going on.
There was quite an assemblage Of
natives squatted around small fire in
the center of the room, and at one end
of the house the corpse of an old woman
lay, covered with sheet and blankets.
All around the room was strung up
muslin, pieces of calico, and q few
blankets; also three umbrellas, ETC., ali
OF which will be distributed among the
relatives and near friends. Then the
process described above will be gone
! through.